Meanwhile Thirty minutes before the last scene ended....

Daphne woke up feeling on top of the world. Or a more apt description would be on top of Troy's world. After they arrived back at her house from Britin, things took a decidedly steamy turn when Troy wasted absolutely no time making his wishes known. Although she hadn't made up her mind if she was going to have sex with him, he'd used his talented tongue to metaphorically sweep away any and all indecision on her part. Troy was forceful when she wanted it and loving when she needed it and she couldn't have been happier that she had allowed him into her body. He was like a balm to her battered body and soul after the miscarriage and revelation of packs of lies told by her former lover Stephen. He was her reward.

She could not help but smile as she watched him stretch languidly under the smooth caresses she placed on his torso as she had watched him sleep. Part of her dreaded the conversation that had to happen after such a glorious night with him but she knew she had to be honest about her feelings. If he was willing to stay on as her fuck buddy, it would be a situation she would welcome with open arms and legs. But if he wanted more... she wouldn't allow herself to think about it now. She just wanted to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the here and now; to let the future with this man take care of itself.

"Good morning beautiful," Troy said, his voice gruff in a term she'd heard Justin describe as sleep-sexy. She finally understood what he'd meant.

"Morning," she whispered back. "Do you want to run first or should I make breakfast.

Troy chuckled. "I must have been damned good if you're offering to make me breakfast."

Daphne tapped his chest lightly, her shoulders gently shaking from her own laughter. "I make you breakfast, just not as often as you make it for me. You usually beat me to the kitchen after our morning run."

"I can't help it if running with you makes me hungry. You're a hellion."

"And not this morning?"

Troy responded by pulling her face to his and tangling his fingers in her hair, tethering her to him. He kissed her with everything he had in him in that moment, hoping that his lips were saying all the right things. When he pulled back to look at her he said, "Last night was filled with the things wet dreams are made of, Daph. And I don't want it to stop." He could see the relief but also the wariness so he continued. "I'm not asking for much, just what you're willing to give."

"And how long will you be satisfied with that, Troy? I'm...I," Daphne stammered out.

"One day soon, Daphne, it will all be clear to you. We don't have to talk or make any decisions now. We're not like Brian and Justin; we won't run from whatever this is. When the time is right to actually have this particular conversation, we'll know."

She nodded her head but before she could respond both of their cell phones rang. Troy moved to answer his as she also made to reach for hers. Once she looked at the caller ID, she knew instinctively that their romantic idyll was over at least for the interim. Daphne headed off toward the bathroom as she heard Troy belting out orders. She started the shower checking the temperature as she advised that she would arrive at the hospital shortly after the ambulances did. Troy raced passed her, stepping under the hot spray just as she disconnected her own phone call and joined him.

"So much for a peaceful morning, huh?" Troy said as he began to soap himself.

"Never a dull moment," she answered, her mind going to the next three people she had to call. "Fuck! I don't want to do this!" she exclaimed, unable to hold back the tears beginning to spill from her brown eyes.

Troy wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her slight body into his own larger one. "Do you want me to do it?"

She shook her head in the negative. "I'll take care of it, but thanks for offering." Daphne turned in his arms to look at him before asking, "Will you come with me?"

Troy smiled down at her pulling her even closer. "I'll drive."

They exited the shower, dressing in record time in their scrubs and exited her house, each lost in their own thoughts. Troy was thinking about the day ahead. Daphne wondering how the fuck she was supposed to deliver the news to the Taylors.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A Gross Miscalculation

Brian, Sarah and Bruno arrived at Struts. It was early in the morning but based on Sarah's information, Saperstein never left the club before eleven a.m. She knew he had to keep strict accounting of every penny in order to split the profits four ways- a quarter to the organization to go toward yearly dues, a quarter to the local law enforcement to keep them from darkening the club's doors for anything other than entertainment, a quarter to the BBB to keep any complaints filed against the establishment or its owners off the record, and the remaining quarter was for him to live modestly and inconspicuously. Anyone who knew Gary Saperstein understood just how much of a sore point that last stipulation was. The man was a slut for wealth and prestige, both of which would ultimately lead to his downfall.

Sarah bent at the knee, examining the lock designed to keep intruders out. Bruno had already taken the liberty of temporarily altering the CCTV feed, making it look like the standard view of the parking lot and surrounding grounds. It was times like those that Sarah was doubly glad that she had granted Bruno Joshsam another opportunity as a free man. Removing a set of lockpicks from her boot, she made quick work of lock which allowed them entry.

Brian couldn't help but chuckle to himself at his companions. He would have prefered to have this meeting alone but after his conversation with Sarah, he understood the importance of this case to her. He remembered listening to her speak about her sister and about Julienne knowing that if Gary and Sean had succeeded with their plans, Justin would have been far away from Brian, and he none the wiser. While they were formulating their plan, Sarah had explained the organization's process by which candidates for the human trafficking trade are picked. In Justin's case, as in Julienne's, he seemed to be the perfect candidate. Of course they would have had to keep him drugged to make him biddable but they were more interested in his talents- both sexually and in business. According to Sarah there were only three people who had the money to purchase him, two which were their off-shore representatives and Gardner Vance. If anyone had a chance of really ruining Brian's business, it was his former boss. And Justin and Julienne's acquisition would have made it all possible.

The trio stealthily crept up the stairs leading from the main floor to the office at the top. Sarah had explained that although Gary used the office on the lower floor during business hours, the other office was used for accounting and stashing drugs both for sale and for Saperstein's personal use. They heard loud yelling coming from the closed door but weren't sure of its source until just prior to entry.

"I fucking can't believe it! I just fucking CAN'T. BELIEVE. IT! They're fucking married! All of our planning is for shit now Sean. Why the fuck did they get married?! It's not like he knocked up the fucking twink." Gary ranted, pacing back and forth. "Gardner is going to be more than pissed when he finds out."

"What the fuck can he really do to us, Unc? Besides maybe it's for the best that Brian and Justin are married. I mean it will make getting to Justin easier since he'll feel a false sense of security now."

"You have no idea what Gardner is capable of, Sean. You also have no idea what Kinney is capable of. Fuck! I knew we should have nabbed that fucking blond brat when we had a chance. We've had plenty of them. We could have even done it when he was in Rochester on business. Kinney would have thought that the little shit had left him. It would have been fucking perfect except..."

"Except that he had friends in high places there as well, Uncle Gary. Jason Dumas and his friends are very tight with the government officials in Monroe County because of how much revenue their companies bring in."

"How do you know that?"

"You don't see men as fine as Jason and his twin brother and not inquire or pay attention," Sean answered as if the answer should have been obvious.

"Well maybe this Jason character can work to our advantage even without knowing so. He and Justin are good friends aren't they?"

"Yeah and from what I have seen they could be more. When Justin was in Rochester he stayed with Jason."

"Well that's interesting," Gary said. He thought back over all he knew about Brian and Justin's relationship. If nothing else, Brian Kinney was a territorial and jealous man, although in public he appeared not to give a fuck what Justin did. Justin Taylor was always his Achilles heel, not that Gary could blame the man. The blond was intelligent, talented, well-spoken and a real beauty- probably one of the most beautiful men he'd ever seen. And that beauty had lent itself to Babylon once upon a time and then to the population of Therapy when he chose to visit the club in New York. Gary had never wanted a man more, except Brian himself, but Kinney hadn't paid him any mind. Brian fucked everything that moved, right in front of Gary even as he ignored the existence of the man. Justin had done the same, especially after the party at his house fourteen years ago. It was like they were rubbing it in his face that he wasn't worthy of being fucked by either of them; that he wasn't worthy of fucking them. It still rankled that Justin kept escaping his plans, as a slippery fish would a net. Every time he had set a trap more airtight than the last, the younger man would just barely dodge it. And now he'd gone and become the domestic partner of one of Gary's greatest enemies. It was not to be borne! "I think I may have a plan to get Justin back where he belongs."

"Do tell," Sean said excitedly. "I've wanted into that ass for a very long time."

"And you'll get into it, Sean, but only after--"

His sentence was interrupted by the booming voice of a most unwanted intruder. "WRONG, Saperstein. But then you usually are. You will NEVER have Justin," Brian yelled, gratified by the shocked looks on the other faces of the office occupants.

"You're too late, Kinney," Gary recovered to answer smugly.

Brian walked over to the disgusting man and punched him. He watched dispassionately as the body of his nemesis careened backward onto the wooden desk in the semi-large office. He moved closer in order to continue his assault on the felled man. "Motherfucker, if you so much as look at Justin," (kick to the ribs) "talk to Justin," (kick to the ass) "or even speak his name again," (quick stomp to the back) "I will fucking kill you," Brian said as he grabbed Saperstein by the hair and aimed a well-placed fist to the jaw of the blue eyed man. He reached down intending to serve another blow when he felt his fist being grabbed. "Let me fucking go," He said through gritted teeth.

"That's enough, Brian," Sarah said, applying a stern pressure to his fist. "Don't make me break this. Now I said ENOUGH!"

"There's no such thing as enough where this asshole is concerned. Did you hear what they were planning next? Did you hear it, Sarah? This fucker doesn't deserve to live for another fucking second," Brian spat angrily as his fist continued to be held captive.

"I heard every word, Brian, same as you. Same as the recorder in Bruno's pocket and same as the videotape here in this office. Justice will be served this time; the evidence is irrefutable. But it will NOT be served by YOU. Now stand down!"

"If I were you, I'd listen to her, man," Bruno said as he held on to the squirming twink known as Sean Saperstein. "I know from personal experience that she's more than capable of breaking that strong hand of yours with just a flick of her dainty wrist. Let her do her job, dude."

Brian looked back at the FBI agent seeing the sadness and understanding written in her eyes. He could acknowledge that his and her pain were the same in reference to this, and yet, he was tired of waiting for justice. It never seemed to come for Justin...never seemed to show up for him. Brian sighed deeply while allowing his hand to be led to his side. Sarah gave a small nod in solidarity and right then he knew that she would do what she must for all of them. He noticed the movement at his feet as Gary began to come back to consciousness. Brian fought the strong urge to hit him again just on general principle, but refrained.

Sarah looked away, hiding her mirth. "You know Brian, for someone who detests violence, you sure are good at it." She wanted to hit the asshole too, but she had to refocus her attention before the urge to let Brian finish what he'd started got the better of her. "Bruno, did you call?"

"I sent the text on the way here. The guys should be downstairs by now," he answered.

"I wouldn't count on it," Sean interjected. "The Boss would have told them to stand the fuck down. Evangeline is not the type to let anything or anyone stand in the way of her money."

Sarah gasped before she could suppress it. "What the fuck did you just say?"

"I said Evange....oops." Sean just realized what he'd said when he was only trying to be smug.

"Yeah, ‘oops,' Kid," Bruno shook the waif he was holding. "I guess we know what your bitch partner has been up to. You have to call Higgins NOW, Sarah. This can't wait."

"What the fuck is going on? Partner? The ‘Boss' is a fucking cop?" Brian asked nearly becoming hysterical. Only his iron will was pushing the words out in anger instead of screaming horror and he was grateful for it.

"About to be an ex-cop and an ex-friend," Sarah confirmed as she grabbed her cell phone. As she dialed she looked toward the door to see the rest of her team coming up the stairs. "Frankie, Ty, I need you to take these two pieces of shit downstairs. Bruno go with them and call Gareth. Make sure Justin doesn't leave the house."

Frankie moved to grab Gary's still-writhing body off the floor. "Jesus! What the fuck happened to this guy?"

Both Brian and Sarah laughed when she answered. "He had couple of run ins with a size 12 and a really big fist."

When he looked to Bruno questioningly and receiving a negative shake of the giant's head, Frankie looked to the only other occupant in the office. "No fucking way. The Label Queen?"

Brian laughed. "Fags generally have to fight all their lives against hetero bullies. Don't let the fact that I spend more time shopping and in suits than in barroom brawls fool you. Justin and I can definitely hold our own even if we are pretty boys."

Frankie laughed and nodded his head. "And modest too. Okay, point well taken, Rocky Marciano. Did you call Higgins yet, Phoenix?"

"I'm just about to."

"Well I think you better hurry up. By the way, don't take the freeway back to the house. Huge fucking accident involving more than one car. Where the fuck are we going to keep these two until Higgins can commandeer a station?"

"I'll tell him to get right on it, although I think he'll also be on the first flight out coming here. This shit just keeps fucking dying and stinking- he's gotta come and deal with Evangeline personally if he wants her in a cell. I'm more apt to kill the bitch than to put her behind bars." They all nodded in understanding. Evangeline Charles' days were apparently numbered, especially if Sarah Morrissey aka the Phoenix had anything to say about it.

"I think I have just the place, if it's alright with you," Brian offered.  "It's the one place no one would ever think to look for the Sapersteins."

Realization dawned in Sarah's eyes and she couldn't contain her laughter as the other guys in the office, including the two prisoners, stood puzzled. "I like the way you think, Kinney. But first things, first."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In the Light of Day...

The doorbell ringing interrupted kisses over coffee. Lindsay and Colby had arrived from the party the previous night, drunk as skunks and high as hell. No matter what anyone had to say about Brian Kinney, the one thing he could always be counted on for was premium smoke. Granted he indulged a lot less in recent years but when he did, Brian always managed to find the best. After a night of sexual innuendo and tension, Lindsey had manhandled Colby- her patience having been worn down. Anyone seeing her would never have recognized the blonde WASP with high-morals sometimes which bordered on obnoxious and who was a lesbian by all accounts including those of her parents and former lover. It didn't take very much convincing on Colby's part. He couldn't wait to be let into Lindsay. Upon their arrival, it had been a nonstop fuckfest of epic proportions. Melanie had come down in the wee hours and told them to keep it down but Lindsay and Colby just laughed it off. As a result, the morning after they were freshly showered, pleasantly sated and sore in places they hadn't been in a long time.

"You should probably get that," Colby told Lindsay in between kisses.

"I'm actually fine right here. Perhaps they'll get the message and go away?"

Colby chuckled. "Not bloody likely, Lindz. Whomever it is this fucking early in the morning is insistent as hell. Just get it over with and then I can fuck you on the counter this time."

The idea, coupled with Colby's deep brogue caused a deep body moan to escape Lindsay. Not since her short-lived affair with Sam Auerbach had Lindsay felt so satisfied that she could purr at any moment. Brian had once told her that every ten years or so she needed to be fucked with a stiff dick and she had to admit that he was right, as always. But there was much more to her attraction to Colby than there ever was to Sam. With Sam it was about admiration and lust; with Colby it was mutual respect and... well she wasn't sure, but she knew that it was even more than what she had with Melanie for many years prior to Sam. She wondered briefly what that said about her and her ability to form lasting relationships but she would examine that another time.

Making her way to the door, Lindsay tightened the belt on her silk robe and smoothed out her hair as best she could. She peeked at herself in the wall mirror in the foyer to make sure she was as presentable as one would expect in the early morning. She was kinda proud of the freshly-fucked look her appearance gave off; her skin was actually glowing denoting the many orgasms she'd had during the long night. She thought to herself, Colby's cock definitely works wonders since she no longer had the matronly look she'd donned for so many years that she couldn't begin to count. She felt young again, and free... at least for the moment.

She was greeted by a woman when she finally reached the door. "Hello, may I help you?" The woman looked familiar but for the life of her she couldn't place the face.

"I was hoping you might, Lindsay. I know you probably don't remember me..."

"You're right, I don't," she replied haughtily.

"Well, I'm actually looking for Melanie. Is she here?"

"She's asleep. I'm sorry but I didn't catch your name," Lindsay responded coolly to the uninvited guest standing on the doorstep of her home. A sense of foreboding immediately assailed her when the woman answered her question.

"Marianne McDonald. I was at a baby shower you gave Marie some years ago."

"Oh right, I remember now. How is she doing? Last I heard she moved to Vermont and had remarried a few years after Dusty's death." Lindz moved aside to allow the visitor in. "Would you like some coffee?"

"That would be nice, thank you. Marie and the kids are doing great. Her new partner Iris, is a real estate broker there and is doing very well. Also Marie went back to law school and is studying for the bar now that the kids are teenagers." Marianne took in her surroundings upon entering while following Lindsay past the open living concept living room to the kitchen at the back of the house. "You have a lovely home."

"Thank you. I like it much better than I did our place in Toronto. It's good that Marie has build a new life for herself. The kids must be around Gus' age by now. So what brings you by?" Lindsay couldn't calm the urgency she felt in the pit of her stomach even as Colby poured a fresh cup of coffee for Marianne and refilled her own.

Before Marianne had a chance to answer, Melanie was alighting from the bottom of the stairs. "Lindz, who was at the door this time of..." the remainder of her sentence trailed off as she took in the appearance of their unexpected houseguest.

"Surprise, Baby," Marianne said, crossing over to stand in front of Mel. "I thought that we should spend our anniversary together and you were taking so fucking long to come back to Toronto."

"I... I... Marianne how did you find out that I was here?" Melanie stammered.

"Oh it was relatively simple but we'll get to that later. Come have coffee with us."

"Yes, Mel. Come have coffee with us and explain what Marianne means by anniversary. I'm truly interested to know," Lindsay said in the most nonchalant tone she could muster.

Melanie looked decidedly uncomfortable. It wasn't like she never meant to tell Lindsay about the affair with Marianne but it was such a sore point for Lindz. Years ago when Mel had an affair just after Gus was born, it was with Marianne. She and Lindsay had talked about it after Mel had decided to forgive her for the Sam Auerbach affair. She knew that Lindz had forgiven her but now she was faced with that betrayal all over again... they both were. She looked straight at Lindz while speaking.  "Marianne and I met up again about three years ago while I was doing some legal work for the company she works for."

"I was transferred shortly after the Babylon bombing. My company decided to expand in case any other homophobic psychopaths decided to take aim at businesses owned by homosexuals. Once Babylon was rebuilt, they decided that they should keep the other office open since it was doing well and gave them a market in international waters."

"Congratulations for them," Lindsay said snidely. She really didn't give a fuck about the reason Marianne was in Toronto, just that she was while Melanie and Lindsay were trying to build a life there and let sleeping dogs lie.

Melanie understood Lindsay's tone and decided to continue. "Marianne and I occasionally met for drinks over the course of three years. We became friends. Lindz I..."

Lindsay pasted a cold smile on her face even as she narrowed her eyes at her former lover. Placing her coffee cup down on the counter, she asked, "So tell me, when did this friendship lead up to what is now known as your anniversary? I'm really interested in knowing that tidbit of information."

"Today makes two years. Isn't that great?" Marianne gushed. "I never thought it was possible to be in a long-term relationship, having been a career dyke since the early days of high school. But Melanie was special."

"Yes," Lindsay agreed, her icy tone lost on the other woman but not on Melanie, "I suppose Melanie is very special. So special in fact that she couldn't bear to be honest with the woman she had been with for more than twenty years. So special that she took issue with me moving on with my life and followed me here, demanding my presence back in Toronto until we got everything straightened out between us in order to remain friends. But now, I'm not so sure we can Mel."

"Lindz, honey..."

"Don't you call me ‘honey!' You no longer have the right. In fact according to Marianne you lost that right two fucking years ago, Melanie. Why couldn't you be honest even up until this very moment. I would have taken it a lot better than to just have your lover showing up on my doorstep."

"You're one to talk, Lindsay," Melanie retorted hotly. "I swear for a lesbian you sure like dick, A LOT."

"I've only recently come to the realization that I'm Bisexual and you know it. But I was HONEST with you. Too bad you didn't feel like you could have been the same." And with that Lindsay left the kitchen even while Colby stayed behind.

Melanie having no one else to turn her ire on, rounded on him. "What the fuck are you looking at?"

"I'm beginning to wonder that myself," Colby answered. "Looky here, Missy, I'm not the one who fucked up, you are, so don't even think to get pissy with me. A word of advice: Apologize, mean it and maybe just MAYBE she'll forgive you. One thing I'm learning about the lass who just stormed out of here is that she is pretty fair. You betrayed her trust even after you two called it quits. You can't really blame her for needing the time to absorb something that you've had quite a few years to come clean about. And she was faithful to you and your family since leaving Pittsburgh so technically she's allowed her anger, Mel. Look I like you. Your no-bullshit approach isn't everyone's cuppa tea but I can deal with it, so I'm going to use the same approach with you. You need to back off and let her deal. End of story."

He left the kitchen in search of Lindsay, allowing Melanie and therefore Marianne to absorb the gravity of his words.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Reunion

"Baby, Daphne and Troy are at the door," Emmett's voice began. "Also some other people are here to see you."

"Move on over and let me at him," a shorter blonde moved Emmett forcefully out of the way. "Well Blondie, are you just going to sit there looking woefully ignorant and surprised?"

Justin laughed loudly. "Julienne McKay, I should have known you'd pick NOW to arrive. Ever heard of a phone?" Justin asked sardonically even as he stood to embrace his friend.

"Sure I have but what was the use in wasting my quarter? You need me and I'm here. My re-enforcements are already here. Gareth and Celene sent the jet with a message from Nicole and Sarah telling me that Saperstein was in town."

Justin frowned and closed his eyes. "Yeah, he's back and it seems my nightmare with that asshole just won't fucking end."

"So Brian knows?" At Justin's slight nod, she tightened her arms around him. If anyone knew the trauma Justin had been through and what could've happened to him, she did. "Listen, Lil' Bit, he'll eventually understand everything. Sarah won't let this matter rest."

"I know, Jules but this.... this was just too much. It's like I can't get any fucking peace and the nightmares are back. It's like I can't..."

"I know," she cut him off. And she did. Not so long ago Julienne had to explain things to her husband Ben, and although she knew he'd had a hard time accepting everything that went with having to allow herself to be used sexually as she had, he'd eventually understood that her life was at stake and they moved passed the situation as a couple. Julienne had no doubt that Brian and Justin could do the same. Deciding to lighten the moment, she detached herself from him looking around and asked, "So where is that ultra-fine husband of yours this morning? Don't tell  

you let him out of bed already. I was hoping for a show."

Justin laughed as Jules waggled her eyebrows at him. "You're such a freak, almost as much as Daphne. Speaking of which, what are you doing here so early, Daph? I thought you and Troy would sleep in this morning." Justin directed his comment to the woman who'd been his best friend as long as he could remember.

Daphne took a deep breath. She gripped Troy's hand, needing the comfort. Jennifer and Molly flanked her as she approached Justin. She had already talked to them. "Jus, we've gotta be on our way to the hospital. There's been an accident--"

"Brian?" Justin gasped, the worry in his voice evident.

She shook her head briskly to reassure him, watching as his shoulders deflated marginally. "No. No, Jus, it's not Brian but Craig."

"What about that bastard?" He looked up at Jennifer and Molly. "What's happened?"

"We have to go to the hospital, Justin. Craig was involved in an accident but he wasn't the only one."

"What the fuck does all this have to do with me? I'm not his proxy; his wife is."

"Not exactly, Justin. Craig asked for you and..." Daphne took a deep breath. "...Ethan was in the crash as well. You are his medical proxy. Look, I know how you feel about both of them..."

"No, no you couldn't possibly know Daph. I know you have been here but you don't know how this makes me feel at all."

Daphne yelled, "I know enough about you Justin Cole Taylor to know that if you don't get your ass in the fucking car now and get to the goddamn hospital you'll carry this shit for the rest of your fucking life. Now. GET. THE. FUCK. IN. THE. CAR. I don't have time for this shit anymore."

Everyone in the room blinked stunned at the venom spewing from the usually giggly, mild-mannered doctor. The only one who wasn't stunned but equally angry was Justin. They'd had plenty of arguments in the past where he had gotten to know her temper very well. "You're... you're asking too much of me this time, Daph," Justin said brokenly.

She crossed to him, putting her warm solid hand on the suddenly slumping shoulder. She knew what the situation was costing Justin; what the situation was going to cost him, but she couldn't let him shirk the responsibility to someone else. Brian wouldn't let him and neither would she. "Justin, you are the strongest person I know. If anyone can face this head on, it's you. Regardless of the circumstances, you are not alone and I know that you will do the right thing. It's in your nature to do so. That said, come on Jus, and let's go do our jobs."

He looked into the reassuring brown eyes, his own watering. He knew that Daphne was right and that not only Craig and Ethan were counting on him, but also his mom and sister. Whatever the reason Craig had asked for him, he owed it to himself to see all of it through whether this was the end of the older Taylor or not.

Julienne stepped up and placed a hand on his other shoulder and gave voice to his inner musing. "Justin, you have to see this through. If there is anything he could tell you about this untenable situation you're in, you need to hear it. You have to put your personal differences to the side if for no other reason than to lay your nightmares to rest. Go to the hospital, man the fuck up and do what needs to be done."

He nodded. "Em could you--"

Emmett, who had been silently observing everyone and mentally cataloguing the situation, waved his hand. "Baby, don't worry. It's already done. I'll get the message to Brian."

"Thanks, Emmett," Justin said while grabbing his coat. His movements were almost mechanical as he thought about everything that had already happened during the weekend. It was supposed to be a happy occasion; he and Brian had finally managed to get their heads out their asses and get their shit together. They were, for all intents and purposes, more married than even the law allowed. He wondered if Brian still thought this was all worth it.

His doubts must have shown on his face because Tucker, of all people, spoke up. "Justin, if there is one thing that we are all sure of, it's that Brian's policy of ‘no regrets' has and always will reign supreme when it comes to your marriage. As long both of you are determined to make things work, you have nothing to worry about...ever."

Justin smiled slightly then. "Thank you. I think I understand what my mom sees in you now."

Tucker in turn smirked. "That's not all, but we'll let you think that. You know, for your own sanity and the fact that bleach isn't good for your eyes." Everyone laughed.

"Well let's make it people. My patients aren't going to operate on themselves and Craig is refusing to go into surgery until you get there," Daphne ordered.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Critical

Making good on his promise, the minute Daphne, Justin and company left Britin, Emmett got on the phone. It took six tries to get through to Brian but Emmett was relieved when he finally did. He didn't think Justin could survive anymore bad news just then.

Brian heard the melodic strands of "I Love the Nightlife" playing and knew right away that it was Emmett calling. "What?" he answered, irritation coloring his voice. He had already had a busy morning, handling the Sapersteins. He was in a pretty decent mood once he'd deposited them in the old soundproof backroom in the basement of Babylon. Since the room was made of reinforced steel, it had been mildly affected by the blast, only requiring emptying out since the door had been left open. Sarah and the others had chuckled when they heard Gary practically begging not to be put into the room. Brian explained to them that prior to him taking the club over, Gary had deemed the room an S&M fuck pad. Bruno and Frank had noticed the chain grooves and built in St. Andrews crosses throughout the space and made good use of them. Although the room was soundproof and no matter how much Gary and Sean yelled, Brian thought it would be fun to ball-gag them both anyway. Considering all of that, Brian was not in the mood for more bullshit to rain down on he and Justin. He just wanted a moment of peace and a long slow fuck from his husband. "I'm on my way back now so this call had better be absolutely necessary and doesn't require me to stop any fucking place."

"Good morning to you too, Mr. Kinney. I just called to tell you that Justin is on the way to the hospital," Emmett snarked back.

"Shit! What the fuck happened?" Brian yelled into the receiver. His heart rate began beating out of control at the mention of Justin and hospital in the same sentence. Automatically, his mind flashed back to that long ago night when Brian wasn't sure Justin would live.

"Calm down, Brian. Justin is okay but he is going to need you. There was an accident on I-79 this morning. Daphne and Troy got the calls and came here. Apparently Craig and Ethan were involved. Did you know that Ethan had Justin listed as his proxy? Anyway, Craig is refusing to go into surgery until he speaks with Justin."

"What the fuck? Can he do that?"

"Apparently he can since he's somewhat lucid. According to Daphne as long as he remains so, they can't do a fucking thing to him without his permission."

"How was Justin when he left?" Brian asked, wheeling the car around despite Sarah's puzzled look. He'd tell her what was going on eventually but right now his main focus was his husband.

"Spooked and pissed off but other than that he's okay."

Brian folded his lips briefly, swallowing hard to rein himself back in control. "He would be. Sunshine is strong; the strongest man I know."

"That's what Daphne told him but Brian this weekend has been a lot to handle. He's been having some doubts," Emmett said. His heart really ached for Justin.

"What do you mean ‘doubts?'" Oh fuck! No fucking way was he going to let Justin pull a ‘Kinney cliff' on him. He'd come to know Justin just like the blond knew him; knew all of the defense mechanisms Justin employed to keep Brian at bay. They were fucking married now, priest, law, license or none. Justin was his husband- the man he'd dedicated his life to in front of family, friends and foes- it was time to remind Justin that ‘for better or worse' was not just a saying, it was their way of life.

"Tucker took care of them Brian and I think what he said made a difference but we all know Justin. He's you in little blond Kinney form."

"I was afraid you'd say that, Em, but I'm not letting go. I'll take care of him, you know that. Right?"

"I never had a doubt, Brian. In fact I don't think that his doubts are necessarily about you at all. All of the shit that's come up in the last day or two is mainly to blame for that. It's like he thinks that if..."

The panic was beginning to settle in his chest again. He knew exactly what Justin was thinking. Brian would have thought the same thing if the tables were turned. "I don't give a flying fuck what he's thinking or whatever Ethan or Mikey or any other asshole thinks. I would not have been better off without him."

He could hear Emmett's wide, country-mile smile through the phone when he answered. "I know that, Brian. And deep down Baby knows it too. You just remind him of that and make sure you give him a hug and a kiss from me, ya hear? I'll hold everything down here. You just take care of him."

Brian hung up the phone just as he pulled into the parking lot of the most hated hospital in his memory. He had revisited Allegheny General Hospital more times than he ever imagined a person would have. Once for Justin; once for Ben; once for Mikey and always in his dreams of Justin. He hated the place and would burn it to the ground if he could get away with it to destroy all of his fucked up memories of the place. But as always he would do what he had to do.

At Sarah's continued questioning look, he explained. "Justin's father and former boyfriend were in the accident on the 79 this morning. Unfortunately both of them deemed it necessary to include Justin in their medical care. If it were up to me, I'd let them both die."

Her eyes grew wide at the implications of Brian's tone of voice. She knew he could be a hard and resolute man- her dealings with him that morning proved that- but she never thought that Brian could be completely ruthless. "Well aren't they lucky it isn't your decision."

"You have to understand what those two assholes put us through."

"Us?"

Brian nodded his head. "Yeah ‘us.' This weekend has just been the icing on the cake of their bullshit. I know Justin will attempt to do the right thing. I know it; that's just who he is. But if I had my way, I would dissuade the fuck out of him. They have more than earned their spots in hell, they dug it themselves for being the evil bastards they are. Ethan was... is using this to demonstrate that Justin still cares about his worthless, fiddling ass and Craig... he's probably the most vile creature who ever walked the face of the earth. I will be hard pressed not to give my honest opinion if Justin asks me what I think, Sarah. I hope he doesn't asks me. I've never lied to him; I don't want to have to start now."

Brian and Sarah alighted from the car just as her cell phone rung. "Go ahead, Brian. I'll be along in a moment. It's my boss."

"Take care of what you need to. I'll text you when I find Justin.

Unbeknownst to them both, someone else was already within the walls of the hospital also looking for the blond.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Removing Scales

Colby had made his way up the stairs, torn between looking for Lindsay or giving her time to absorb the arrival of her ex-lover's current lover on her doorstep. Sure they were over but he knew it still had to hurt. After catching glimpses and hearing bits and pieces of what went on in Melanie and Lindsay's relationship, he couldn't quite understand how these two women had ever thought they could make it work. It was apparent that Marianne McDonald was the first woman that Melanie had cheated on Lindsay with. How many others were there? Did the full-breasted brunette really warrant a repeat performance especially since the first time Melanie cheated had been right after Lindsay had Gus? Questions like that were always the reason Colby avoided relationships. But Lindsay- being with Lindsay- had forced him to rethink his life running away from them. In the past, he would have never gotten involved in a rebound romance but the timing of his arrival in Pittsburgh, his decision to stick around awhile and lay put down some roots had all been compounded by the arrival of Lindsay Petersen in his life. He'd never planned to actually get to know the woman prior to fucking her brains out but that was exactly what happened. And he found that he liked her whether she was scolding him or taunting him; whether she was teasing him and definitely when she was pleasing him, Colby just liked the woman. Now he felt even more for her although he wouldn't tell her that. It wasn't what she needed to hear or deal with. What she needed was a friend and Colby would be that for her.

He knocked softly on the door. He half expected to hear loud screams and curses at being interrupted shortly after receiving the shock of her life. Instead when he pushed the door open, he found Lindsay, still dressed in her silk robe but with a parka and her snow boots on, standing on the balcony overlooking her property. Colby rummaged through her closet, finding a second parka with a furred hood and joined her. The slightly startled jump and subsequent snicker which emitted from Lindsay warmed his heart.

"You look ridiculous," she said even as she pulled the hood a little more snug around his head.

"Is that the thanks I get for being a good friend?" Colby couldn't help but laugh himself when he caught sight of his reflection in the sliding doors.

"Aww, you are a good friend, Colby." Lindsay reassured him before sobering. "Thank you for being here."

Colby wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "I know it hurts, Lindz, but maybe it's a good thing you didn't know before now."

"How can you say that?" She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. There was so much more than hurt going on with Lindsay. Although Lindz wasn't sure if Mel had cheated with other women, the fact that it was Marianne she'd had an affair with for the past two years rankled like nothing she'd ever felt before. "I just can't understand what..."

"What she has that you don't?" Colby finished for her. "The answer is nothing. But they do share a common interest, Lindsay."

"You know, the first time it happened, I thought the common interest stemmed from the fact that they were both childless. At the time we had thought that Mel couldn't have kids and all of my time was being taken up by Gus. So I could understand why Mel would have felt a little left out or displaced; maybe even a little used since she was forced to work more so I could stay home full-time. But this time around, I can't understand it. I was the one who had to sacrifice everything so that she could have her career. I worked part-time when I could so that I could be there for Gus and JR, I cooked and kept the house, I was a good wife and mother; Melanie never lacked for anything."

"Except a lover, Lindz," Colby said matter-of-factly. "And you can't say that you haven't betrayed or even thought about betraying her too. That just wouldn't be realistic. You are a passionate woman- you both are- and you need to feel connected in some way to another human being through sex. There's nothing wrong with getting your needs met, but you both went about it the wrong way."

Lindsay chuckled. "Brian told me that years ago when I fucked a man for the first time in over a decade. And yes, I had a one-time-only deal with the curator at the gallery I worked at but it wasn't an affair. An affair implies emotions and I certainly didn't have any feelings for Henry Newton beyond the fact that he had a plump lips good for kissing, a nice dick and a shapely ass. After that indiscretion, we arranged our schedules so that there wouldn't be any awkward feelings between us. Sure we'd see each other during shows or business meetings and we were friendly but that was the extent of it. What Mel had was something completely different."

"And so you're standing here feeling a righteous indignation because she got her needs met several times while you took care of home and hearth. I wonder if the opportunity presented itself would you have gone back for more with this Henry person."

That brought Lindsay up short. Would she have gone back? Was her anger more about a missed opportunity than the act itself? "We'll never know, will we?"

"No we won't but Lindsay, it's over between you and Mel. Shouldn't you just accept what is instead of what was? It no longer matters in the grand scheme of your life and you're both allowed to be happy. From what I can see and from what you have told me from your own luscious lips, you two haven't been happy for a long time; instead you were both safe. There is a big difference between the two. You've both made mistakes, you're both friends again and you've both found someone new. Now move on."

He could see Lindsay processing his words. Colby couldn't deny that he wanted the blonde more than anything but he also wanted her to be happy. He wanted to make her happy but he also knew she had to be clear in her mind about what she wanted. Sure they would probably have an open relationship and that was fine with him. Since they were both Bi, it would stand to reason that he would want to fuck a man sometimes as much as she would want to screw a woman. But they would get clear and stay clear about their commitment to each other. That was the problem with Mel and Lindsay's relationship. Mel could certainly ‘do monogamy' whereas some part of Lindsay would always lay dormant and unfulfilled. Commitment and monogamy weren't mutually inclusive terms, and one word didn't lessen the value of the other the way many thought. Colby was brought out of his reverie when Lindsay spoke.

"So I've found someone, huh?"

Colby swallowed hard. He was nervous about her response but that was to be expected. "If you want me, lass, I'm here."

Lindsay smiled. She really felt better about the situation regarding Melanie and honestly she was ready to let it go. The reason she'd left Canada and filed for divorce in the first place was because she had felt like her life was on hold, like she was waiting for some opportunity that would never come if she didn't take life by the horns and dominate it instead of the other way around. Colby had pointed that out to her even while offering something she hadn't thought possible. He offered her freedom to be exactly who she was inside; something Melanie could never offer or understand. "Kiss me," she answered the tall man, watching his green eyes glitter in the daylight.  

And with that kiss, Lindsay said goodbye to her past and hello to her future.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*

A True WASP Nest

Julienne was delighted to have a moment to catch up with Nicole, a friend of hers from college who was working with Sarah. Ironically, Justin was in the same position she'd found herself in a while ago.... a situation that she would be forever grateful to have gotten out of.

During their conversation, a few stragglers came into the kitchen area. Julienne laughed as she saw Gareth, Celene, Shelia and Anthony joking around like most married couples do. It was funny to think of Anthony and Shelia as married at all. She was probably the most commitment-phobic person of Julienne's acquaintance and was much like Justin had always described Brian Kinney. But just as Shelia had changed, so had Brian and Jules was so happy that Justin was finally happy with his relationship. Only if it would stay that way.

It wasn't that she didn't believe in them as a couple- she had believed in her and Tanner too- it was that the situation that Justin was in was dangerous in ways that few could imagine. It was made of stuff that would turn the darkest person white and the stuff nightmares were made of. The people after Justin... and her to some extent, were not people to play fair. Usually if they wanted you they got you. Julienne had been damn lucky to have escaped and to have had Shelia by her side when she did. Human trafficking was big business where men and women without scruples and long money thrived.

"Are you all settled in?" The man whose name she learned was Emmett, asked?

"Yep. Thanks. Have you heard from Justin yet?"

He shook his head. "No I haven't. But I did speak to Brian and he's on his way there with Sarah."

Drew spoke up. "They must have finished that other business then."

That drew everyone up short but it was Tucker who asked him, "What other business?"

"I was supposed to go with them this morning but we heard Emmett stirring upstairs so I stayed behind. I must say that distracting Em is one of my favorite pastimes."

The tall queen blushed but he wasn't about to let Drew off the hook. "You'll pay for the distraction later, Drewsie but I for one want to know what apparently we all aren't supposed to know right now."

Drew inhaled deeply which was not lost on any of the men in the room. They all in some way knew that he didn't want to tell them what Brian was going to do but since Justin wasn't there, he thought the situation was as safe as possible. "He went to have a little chat with the Sapersteins this morning."

"What the fuck Drew?! You let him go? Alone?" Everyone looked at Tucker who usually wasn't a man to raise his voice. in fact if Drew had to bet money on who would have yelled at him, he would have bet Emmett not Tucker.

"He...he wasn't alone, Tuck. Calm down. Sarah and her team went with him."

Tucker's shoulders visibly deflated in relief. He would have hated to tell Justin that something had happened to Brian simply because the man wanted to be his son-in-law's avenging angel. "Well at least he isn't in jail or dead. What the fuck was he thinking?"

"I imagine he was thinking the same thing all of us would have been if it were our wives or Emmett," Gareth said. He had been through much with Celene regarding her ex-husband and Jules with the almost abduction of her person. There wasn't much that Gareth wouldn't have done had he been in Brian Kinney's shoes to make sure that his loved one was safe.

"I know you all are right but with everything going on with Brian and Justin; the people who are constantly trying to hurt them and therefore our family, I don't like that he took this kind of chance with his life, and Justin's by default. Do you all know what would have happened had Justin found out where Brian had gone this morning?"

Emmett nodded. "I've known Baby longer than any of you in this room and I can tell you that the tenacious and impulsive twink I met fifteen years ago hasn't changed one bit since he became a man. That's the part of his nature which never bores Brian and keeps the man completely engaged. True, it's a good thing that Justin didn't know but now I'm worried about what will happen when he finds out. For those of you who have never been present for one of Brian and Justin's infamous arguments, you're about to be."

Tucker and Emmett chuckled as the rest of them murmured. They couldn't imagine that the mild-mannered, well-bred young man that they knew would ever go toe-to-toe and insult-for-insult with Brian Kinney. None could imagine that Justin could be that verbally vicious but Emmett, Drew and Tucker knew a side of Justin that very few had seen. They were each interrupted from their reverie by the doorbell and a very unwelcome guest arriving.

"Good morning everyone," Kevin Dixon said, his voice barely concealing the sneer in it. "Where is Justin."

Tucker looked at the man he'd known almost all his life, first in disbelief and then in anger. "What the fuck are you doing in my son's house, Kevin? I thought it was made abundantly clear to you yesterday that you are not welcome here."

"Be that as it may, I came to offer my apologies to Justin. So where is he?"

"None of your fucking business. After all the bullshit you have put him through over the years, you think an apology will suffice. I'll tell you what, I'll deliver you message, Kevin. And in the meantime do us all a favor and get the fuck out." Tuck was so angry that he was beginning to inwardly tremble. No, he and Justin didn't always see eye-to-eye but over the years they had learned to respect each other and their common bond through Jenn. He had finally learned all the details of the bashing that nearly took Justin's life so many years ago and the part the piece of shit in front of him played. There were no words for how much he wished he'd had a bat of his own so that ‘Dickhead Dixon' could feel just what he'd put Justin through. "I think it's time for you to go now or I won't be responsible for my actions."

Kevin tsked at Tucker. "Such displays of vulgarity and temper. It's apparent that you have forgotten your upbringing, Tucker. But then I would expect nothing less from hanging around these godless heathens and fags you call family beginning with the queerest of them all Brian and Justin Taylor-Kinney."

At the end of Kevin's speech, each of the men in the room rallied behind Tucker. Jules, Celene, Shelia and Nicole stood with them as well. Contrary to Kevin's belief, every single one of the women were prepared to kick his ass but it was Julienne who spoke. "Tell Evangeline that she won't get Justin."

Kevin purred at the blonde-haired, green eyed woman. "Julienne, I thought that was you. The boss will be so pleased and surprised to find you here. The last we'd heard you were living in some obscure place in South Carolina. You know, we haven't forgotten you and neither has Gardner."

She laughed mirthlessly. "I don't give a fuck whether you or any of the other assholes have forgotten me or not. In fact remember the ass whipping you all got the last time you came for me. It will be nothing compared to the one you receive if you touch Justin Taylor-Kinney. All of us in this room have our own set of friends and powerful connections so do yourself and Evangeline a favor and FUCK OFF."

"Tough talk little lady." Kevin moved a step closer to her, extending his hand toward her. Julienne McKay had always had incredibly soft skin which made his hands itch to touch. "I hear you have a daughter now and that she is a real beauty."

He made a huge miscalculation in mentioning Julienne's daughter. One: Julienne's husband was standing directly behind the lady in question. Ben Tanner was a six-foot-five, muscular brickhouse ready to crush the ignorant man looking his wife in the eyes for signs of fear. The second thing he should have anticipated was how fast and accurate Julienne was at defending herself. Without taking her eyes from the malicious visage of Kevin Dixon, Julienne smiled even as she palmed the switchblade she always taped to the inside of her sleeve since her own ordeal. She wasted no time slicing into Kevin's extended arm. She derived great satisfaction from the yell of pain-- a delayed reaction to the sight of blood dripping from his forearm-- which emitted from the odious man.

Tucker chuckled. "Again, Kevin, I think you better leave. Julienne was lenient; I don't think you'll find that kind of mercy from anyone else here."

"I'll see you in hell bitch," Kevin spoke through gritted teeth to Julienne.

"When you get there, say hello to Fred for me." His eyes widened at the mention of Fred Pierce, the man who was her ex-boss and tormentor along with Evangeline Charles and her business partner, Tamara St. Giles. Ironically, it was Fred's adopted sister Tamara who killed him. They all deserved each other and whatever fate befell them. "By the way, tell Evangeline that Sarah knows she's the boss and is coming for her. Goodbye, Kevin."

Tucker escorted the man out followed by Drew, Gareth and Anthony. It took everything in him not to deliver his own blow to the asshole but he had to admit that Julienne's method did an admirable job. "Do yourself a favor, Kevin, forget this address. Go take care of your arm and go take a vacation somewhere. I hear Antarctica is beautiful this time of year. If you stay here then you deserve everything that's coming to you."

"Aww Tucker, are these fags rubbing off on you? I didn't think you cared," Kevin snarked.

"Trust me I don't. Make sure your will is up to date for the sake of your mom, okay." Tucker slammed the door in Kevin's face and shook his head of the memories. "Anyone up for coffee?"

Emmett laughed. "Is it too early to go for the Beam yet?"

"Probably, Em." Tucker was playing around with the cell phone which seemed to magically appear in his hand.

"Are you calling Justin?" Drew asked.

"No. Just trying to find a number."

Emmett looked at the phone again. "Hey when did you get a new phone?"

"This phone isn't new... well it's new to me but old to Kevin Dixon."

"You mean you..."

"I wasn't always a boy scout even within the WASP nest, Em. Someone needs to get ahold of Sarah now. I think this has all of the information she was looking for in those encrypted files."

"Let me see it," Jules demanded as she snatched the phone from his hand. It was times like these that she loved her job even more. Being a programmer definitely had its perks. While she was going through the files, Gareth was on the phone with Sarah.

"Jules, Sarah said to upload everything to Higgins and send a copy to Frank. They're all at the hospital briefing Horvath on the morning's happenings."

Tucker, Emmett and Drew all breathed a sigh of relief hearing that Carl was at the hospital with Brian and Justin. Between him and Sarah, they would make sure that Brian and Justin stayed safe and sane.

"It's no problem, but Emmett, I'm going to need lots of coffee and possibly something sweet, preferably chocolate. It's my brain food."

Emmett laughed. "Don't you worry now Ms Switchblade, you do your job and I'll do mine. A little hot and sweet for the Spicy Chick about to help save Brian and Justin's asses."

It was back to business as usual at Britin for the moment... but at the hospital...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Collision Course

After calling everyone's cell phones and not receiving any answer, she knew she was taking a huge risk. There was something not right about the silence. It wasn't done deliberately and no, she couldn't really blame any of them from distancing themselves but they were family damn it... and families stuck together! Which was why when Debbie finally got through on the house phone and was put through by Anita to Emmett, she was informed that Justin was on the way to the hospital. Her first inclination was to panic until Emmett cleared up the misunderstanding. Debbie understood that Sunshine and therefore Brian would be under a lot of strain and pressure but hers as a mother with a missing son, had to be understood as well.

Carl, who had been called to the hospital on a different matter concerning Brian and Justin, advised Debbie that Michael was a grown man and could take care of himself; that he would call when he was good and ready. He explained about the crash on I-79 a little more than forty-five minutes before and that Justin had to make some decisions. He was sure that Michael and his drama was not a priority in anyone's mind and it shouldn't be in hers either. Believing that he had made his point, Carl had left the house on his way to Allegheny General to meet with the FBI. Debbie also left the house, via cab though, on her way to Allegheny General to meet with Brian and Justin.

As she alighted from the taxi at the emergency entrance, she could only imagine the zoo the inside of the hospital must have looked like. It reminded her of the bombing of Babylon fifteen years ago, so many ambulances and people blocking the doorway. Standing almost-paralyzed she could hear the staccato issuing of orders followed by the word STAT. Debbie knew within her heart that it was probably not a good time to accost Justin, but Brian would have to help her. After all, Michael was his best friend and during his teenage years- well into adulthood- Michael was always, ALWAYS there when Brian needed him. She didn't, couldn't and wouldn't think about all the returned favors Brian had done for Michael, some as payback and others just because he cared. All Debbie could think or feel in that moment was that Michael hadn't returned any of her calls, and that numerous calls had gone straight to voicemail. Someone, somewhere had to know something about her baby. And Brian was going to help her.

With that determined thought in mind, Debbie entered the fray of activity within the emergency room of Allegheny General Hospital. She had been there on numerous occasions before, and it was always the same: the same sickly smell, the same scenario of waiting families, the same hard chairs and ticking clocks- the sea of humanity waiting on pins and needles while patients either survived or gave up the ghost. Yeah...she remembered the first time she was rushed in to have Michael, the first time she bought Vic in after he was diagnosed; the innumerable times she'd sat beside him when his meds stopped working; the hours she sat waiting to find out about Sunshine after the bashing that would turn his life upside down, and then finally the night and all the next day when it was her turn to worry about her own child felled by homophobic pricks with bombs. Debbie shook herself, running her hands over her face as if to erase the images flashing involuntarily through her mind. Looking around, she heard Brian's upraised voice before she saw him.

"Look, I will say it again. My partner's father asked to see him before he was wheeled into surgery. His name is Craig Taylor. Now I want to know where my family is. My husband, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are wherever the fuck he is."

"Sir, I'm sorry but only immediate family are allowed in that area and since gay marriage is legal but you cannot produce proof,  you technically are NOT married. Now if you'd just have a seat, I'm sure the doctor will be with you at the most available time," the nurse behind the desk huffed while turning away and speaking to the next family member behind Brian.

"Fucking cunt," Brian muttered. He pulled out his cell phone determined to get some answers as to where in the madhouse Justin was. Just as he was about to press the green button to send, he heard the familiar voice nearly screaming his name.

"Brian! I'm so glad I found you. We have a problem," Deb urgently relayed.

"Deb, as you can see right now, I'm in the middle of my own crisis."

Debbie barreled ahead. "I understand that Brian but look, I can't find Michael. He isn't returning my calls and no one has seen him since he left your house yesterday."

"I'm sure that Michael is just somewhere licking his wounds, Deb. Right now I have to find Justin."

"Listen here you asshole--"

"NO YOU LISTEN. Justin is MY partner and my FIRST priority, Michael is NOT. He's a fucking grown-up or at least he's supposed to be Deb. Let him be one. He will call you when he's ready to talk."

Deb was taken aback by Brian's outburst. She understood that he and Michael were not on good terms but that had never stopped Brian from helping him-- helping her-- before. "What the fuck is your problem, Brian? After everything we have done for you the least you could do is help me out here. He could be somewhere lying in a ditch or someone could have him.... I don't know, he could be hurt."

Brian closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose to stave off the migraine he was getting. Every time something went wrong in one of their lives, this was the conversation and frankly he was fucking tired of it. "Look Deb, as always, I appreciate everything you and Michael and Vic have done for me when I was getting my ass handed to me by Jack and Joan. But this thing with Michael is NOT my problem; it's his. You need to back off and give him his space, let him process whatever-the-fuck he needs to process and let me do the same. Justin's father was brought in here and he's demanding to see him before he goes into surgery. Not only that but that fucking idiot fiddler had Justin listed as his medical proxy and was in the accident on I-79 too. So forgive me if I am trying to find my husband because HE really needs me; Michael DOES NOT." 

Brian walked away from Debbie then not sure if he could take another round of ‘Where's My Son' before he lost it. He tried to be sympathetic- he really did- but that was always the problem with Debbie and Michael Novotny. It was always about their wants, their needs and their problems. For once Brian wished that Debbie would have understood his urgency instead of expecting to respond to hers. He would always consider her is true 'Ma' but at that moment Debbie seemed as much a stranger to him as Michael had become. Brian mentally filed away the disheartening episode and went back to scrolling the phone looking for Daphne's number. As he paced back and forth, Brian knew he needed to calm his already-frayed nerves before he gave into temptation to destroy the hospital and the phone. The headache he was determined to keep at bay was equally determined to torture him. His heartbeat was racing and his usually self-destructive urges were screaming to have free rein instead of the tight leash Brian was keeping on every other emotion except anger. He'd finally found the number but fortunately he didn't have a chance to even press the 'send' key. 

Daphne had found him the minute she stepped off the elevator. There were few times that she could remember Brian looking as if he was about ready to explode. He was usually so controlled and so arrogant especially during crises that she'd often felt like punching him just to destroy his composure. But as she looked at him, Daphne could tell that the man was just about at the end of his rope and she really couldn't blame him. Justin was the same way before she'd had to give him a shot to calm him down. He had gone into a rage after speaking with Craig. If Troy had not taken that surgery from her and pulled rank as the Chief Surgeon on staff, Daphne would have gladly lost her medical license to make Craig Taylor suffer. 

She shook herself from her reverie even as she made her way over to him. "Brian, thank God. You have to come with me now." She gripped his arm and began dragging him back in the direction from whence she'd come.

"What's happening? I've been trying to find Justin."

"I'll take you to him and explain on the way."

They rushed passed the occupants of the emergency room to the service elevator. Brian caught the eye of and smirked at the woman he'd nicknamed Cunty Nurse who was giving him a hard time upon his arrival. Sarah and Horvath had disappeared a bit ago leaving Brian in the Emergency room to deal with Nurse Wretched by himself. He was never so happy to know a doctor in his life as he was at that moment. "Okay so tell me quickly what I need to know while we are in this contraption you all call an elevator."

"Brian, Justin had a panic attack. I'm not sure what Craig said to him but it caused Justin's distress. The asshole is in the OR now; Troy is operating on him. I couldn't trust myself to do it. I sent Jennifer and Molly to get something to eat. Craig has burns over the lower half of his body and they had to use the Jaws of Life to get him out of his car."

"Shit... and the fucking fiddler? Emmett said that Justin had his POA too."

Daphne swallowed hard. "He survived the surgery. I did that one but... he died about an hour ago. He had burns over 90% of his body and a lot of internal bleeding from when the car flipped over. We were able to stop the bleeding as much as possible but by then he had lost a lot of blood. Unfortunately we had to wait to give him a blood transfusion due to the trauma his body had already undergone with the accident and subsequent surgery. Any more would have killed him instantly. He did speak to Justin before he passed though, although Justin doesn't know yet that he's dead."

Brian felt like laughing and crying at the same time. He also felt angry and bitter that all of this was happening to Justin. Picking up on Brian's feelings, Daphne stood on the tips of her toes and threw her arms around Brian's neck. She felt so sad for both Brian and Justin. All this on the weekend that they finally stop fighting fate and made the choice to embrace it. The elevator doors opened just as Daphne had released Brian from the hug. Brian was surprised when Daphne led him down the long corridor to where the Doctors' private offices were.

"What are we doing down this way? I thought you would have just put him in a private room," Brian said.

Daphne shook her head. "I was able to speak with Horvath a little before you got here. Apparently Sarah's superior had briefed him over the phone and warned him of imminent danger surrounding Justin. That's why he wasn't sent back down to the general waiting room in emergency after his talk with Craig and Ethan. Given the circumstances we all thought it would be best if he waited in Troy's office. He was told not to open the door for anyone and that anyone who was allowed in would have a key or would call his cell phone first. I've given him a mild sedative so he would calm down. By the way where were you this morning?"

Ordinarily Brian would have avoided or deflected such a question. It was no secret that Brian hated answering to others especially when it pertained to Justin. But Daphne was one of the few that he trusted more implicitly, and honestly she had more than earned her right to know what was going on. "I settled the score with Gary and Sean Saperstein."

To her credit, Daphne smiled wide and punched Brian in the arm. "That's my boy. They're lucky it was you that found them and not me, Brian."

He looked at her good. He was surprised to see the near-murderous glint in her eyes. "Boxing lessons have been paying off?"

"More than you could possibly know," she answered. She took the key out of her lab coat and ushered Brian into the main office. Moving silently and knowingly to the door at the back of the large office, Daphne placed another key into the lock. Opening the door wide, she moved to the side for Brian to sweep into the room. The sunlight from the window graced the form of Justin slumbering on the surprising full-size bed within the space. His blond hair was draped a little over his eyes blocking out some of the light filtering through the blinds, his hands folded under the side of his head. If Brian had his way, Justin would always look so peaceful when he was asleep.

He nodded to Daphne, who closed and relocked the door after she left. Brian removed his shoes and jacket after emptying his pockets. He lifted Justin's legs to shift and pull the covers from beneath them, relishing the deep breath and slight snore coming from the top of the bed. Brian smiled softly remembering the first time he'd heard that sound. It was the very first night they fucked, after Justin had cum Brian did something he'd never done for another trick ever. He'd gone into the bathroom and retrieved a warm washcloth and cleaned Justin up before tucking both of them under the covers. Even high as a kite, Brian still remembered doing that. He climbed into the bed beside Justin and after settling himself, spooned his body behind his lover. Draping his arm over Justin, he whispered in his ear, "I'm here." He smiled when Justin shifted closer to him instantly seeking his warmth and finding it sighed in relief and gratitude. Brian watched Justin for a few more moments before drifting into sleep himself hoping against hope that when they woke up, the nightmare of the day would have come to an end.